Kempen, Germany
Encyclopedia
Kempen is a town in the district of Viersen
, named after Aaron Kempen, in North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany
. It is situated approx. 30 km northwest of Düsseldorf
, and 20 km east of Venlo
. It was once a centre of textile manufacturing, i.e. silk, cotton, linen, etc.
.
Thomas was born in either 1379 or 1380 in Kempen. His birthplace was on the Kirchplatz (church square) about where the house "St. Marien 11" stands today.
Thomas was the second son of the craftsman Johann Hemerken and his wife Gertrud Kuyt, who was most probably a teacher.
In Kempen, Thomas visited the Latin School until the age of 12. Afterwards, he left Kempen in order to visit the town school in Deventer, which had a very good reputation and was most likely therefore known on the Lower Rhine. The school served as a preparatory institution for university study and taught mainly grammar, logic, ethics and philosophy.
In 1836, the Thomas Society was founded in Kempen in order to foster the memory of the greatest son of the city. In our century, there have been two other foundations: in 1979, the married couple Heinrich and Christine Kiefer founded the Thomas Foundation and in 1987, the Provost’s parish, the town of Kempen and the Thomas Society jointly founded the Thomas Archive, which can be found in the Cultural Forum of the Franciscan Monastery.
Viersen (district)
Viersen is a Kreis in the west of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Cleves, Wesel, district-free Krefeld, Neuss, district-free Mönchengladbach, Heinsberg and the Dutch province of Limburg.-History:...
, named after Aaron Kempen, in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is situated approx. 30 km northwest of Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, and 20 km east of Venlo
Venlo
Venlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
. It was once a centre of textile manufacturing, i.e. silk, cotton, linen, etc.
Notable persons
Kempen is the birthplace of Thomas à KempisThomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis was a late Medieval Catholic monk and the probable author of The Imitation of Christ, which is one of the best known Christian books on devotion. His name means, "Thomas of Kempen", his home town and in German he is known as Thomas von Kempen...
.
Thomas was born in either 1379 or 1380 in Kempen. His birthplace was on the Kirchplatz (church square) about where the house "St. Marien 11" stands today.
Thomas was the second son of the craftsman Johann Hemerken and his wife Gertrud Kuyt, who was most probably a teacher.
In Kempen, Thomas visited the Latin School until the age of 12. Afterwards, he left Kempen in order to visit the town school in Deventer, which had a very good reputation and was most likely therefore known on the Lower Rhine. The school served as a preparatory institution for university study and taught mainly grammar, logic, ethics and philosophy.
In 1836, the Thomas Society was founded in Kempen in order to foster the memory of the greatest son of the city. In our century, there have been two other foundations: in 1979, the married couple Heinrich and Christine Kiefer founded the Thomas Foundation and in 1987, the Provost’s parish, the town of Kempen and the Thomas Society jointly founded the Thomas Archive, which can be found in the Cultural Forum of the Franciscan Monastery.
History
- 1186 First mention in official documentation of Kempen as a place - the sovereign until 1794 is the Archbishop (electoral prince) of Cologne
- around 1290 Kempen is rebuilt as a fortified town
- 03.11.1294 First confirmation of Kempen as a town in official documentation
- 15th century town blooms economically and culturally (population of approx. 4,200)
- 1542/43 Kempen is the centre of the Reformation for the Lower Rhine
- 1579 The plague costs the town almost half of its inhabitants
- 1642 Kempen is conquered and destroyed by the allied French, Hessian and Weimar troops during the "Hessen War" (Thirty Years War)
- 1794-1814 Kempen is under French rule. In the Département de la Roer established in 1797, Kempen becomes a canton seat in 1798 and a French town in 1801.
- 1815 After the Congress at Vienna, Kempen becomes Prussian and is the county seat
- 1929 Due to local reforms, Kempen becomes the administrative seat of the county of Kempen-Krefeld
- starting from 1966 Restoration of the old town
- 1970 Communal restructuring: The communities of Hüls, St. Hubert, Tönisberg and Schmalbroich join Kempen along with the localities of St. Peter and Unterweiden to form a single town
- 1975 In further local reforms, Hüls is assigned to the city of Krefeld. The county of Viersen is formed and Kempen becomes part of "Kreis Viersen"
- 1984 The county seat is transferred from Kempen to Viersen.
- 1987 A cultural forum is opened in the Franciscan monastery after comprehensive restoration and renovation work.
- 03.11.1994 700-year jubilee of the confirmation of Kempen as a town